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Published: October 26th 2011
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Photo 8
Zion Kolob Saturday, October 22, 2011
Zion National Park Being only a few hours’ drive from my final destination, I had most of the day to dawdle before checking in at my hotel. Lucky for me, Zion National Park was just a few miles down the freeway. It wasn’t Zion proper, but rather an annex called the Kolob Canyons. The park entry fee was a steep $25, but totally worth it, even for my short visit. This is where the scenery broke away from the dead rolling hills and finally became interesting.
There is a five mile one-way road into the canyon area. The view became increasingly breathtaking. Red striped rocks rose in front of me and changed color with the sunrise. I drove slowly and pulled over often, taking in all the scenery. At the end of the road was a parking lot which overlooked one of the canyons. It was fantastic. Never had I seen landscape like this in person. As I was snapping photos, I chatted with an older couple nearby. They were from Mercer Island, Seattle - go figure. I should never be surprised to meet fellow Seatteites while traveling. They’re everywhere.
Surprise, Arizona After my
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Zion Kolob hour-plus detour, I headed back to the freeway. From here, I only had a handful of miles until I reached Arizona. While plotting my trip, I had totally missed the fact that I would be going through yet another state on my journey. This new fact made my morning. The drive through the northwest part of the state was short, but beautiful. In 30 miles I dropped 3,000 feet in elevation. The freeway wove in and out of canyons, all striped rocks like the ones in Zion. It was a lot of fun.
I Gained an Hour in Nevada Somewhere along my path I entered the Pacific Time Zone again. This didn’t change my drive much, but it meant I was going to be much earlier for check-in at my hotel. The landscape also changed when I crossed the Nevada state line. It was not as flat as Idaho and much of Utah and Oregon, but more like Yakima Valley in Washington. Ironically, my college friends and I made fun of Yakima and called it Yakivegas. It’s amusing just how accurate that title was. In the simplest description, the cities are both flat, dirty, and you don’t want to
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Zion Kolob drink the tap water. This, however, does not deter me.
Then, I saw it. A huge grin spread across my face as the skyline of the strip hotels came into view. It was a surreal moment, to realize that this was going to be my new city. The iconic landmarks of my town would no longer be the Space Needle or the Smith Tower or the troll under the bridge, but giant themed, glistening skyscrapers emerging from the desert.
Home Sweet Home, For Now I checked into my hotel in Henderson, a suburb southeast of Las Vegas proper. For the next couple weeks, the Marriott would be my new home until I found an apartment. But with a king size bed, mini kitchen, free internet and cable, I can’t complain too much. Tomorrow would be my day to relax before diving into my new career for an entertainment giant.
Statistics Thursday Start: Shelton, WA
End: Baker City, OR
Miles Driven: 426
States Visited: Washington, Oregon
Achieved 34 miles per gallon, a personal best
Friday Start: Baker City, OR
End: Cedar City, UT
Miles Driven: 707
Stated Visited: Oregon, Idaho, Utah
Saturday Start: Cedar City, UT
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Zion Kolob End: Las Vegas, NV
Miles Driven: 192
States Visited: Utah, Arizona, Nevada
Total Miles Driven: 1325
States Visited: 6
Time for Trip: 2.5 days
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